Padma Lakshmi

"In southern Spain, they made me eat a bull's testicles. They were really garlicky, which I don't like. I prefer to take a bull by the horns, not by, um..." - Padma Lakshmi

After modeling for Versace, Armani and Ralph Lauren, Padma Lakshmi landed her own cooking show, Padma's Passport, on the Food Network. Along with her own show, Padma has penned a few cookbooks including Easy Exotic and Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet. Padma Lakshmi also co-hosts the top-rated Bravo show, Top Chef, for which she was nominated for an Emmy in 2009. Padma has also appeared in the movie Glitter, alongside Mariah Carey; a rare jump from Bollywood to Hollywood, and The Mistress of Spices with Aishwarya Rai.

SEX APPEAL

While Padma Lakshmi's innate sensuality stands on its own, her characteristic scar makes her that much more alluring. Few models become known because of a slight flaw. Padma's scar is her signature trait and she wears it like a beauty mark, adding a jolt of asymmetry to an otherwise perfect figure. Her nude shots from her Helmut Newton days could make any man create a new god in her honor to worship on a daily basis.

With rich, cocoa-colored skin, lingering jet-black hair, chiseled cheekbones, and razor-sharp eyebrows atop dramatically black eyes, Padma Lakshmi represents all the good things to be found in women: mystery and sensuality with a touch of international class. Plus, a body so exquisite it makes you want to navigate it like the Ganges River.

SUCCESS

Padma Lakshmi knew what she wanted and went for it. Immediately after getting her bachelor's degree, she began to make waves in the fashion scene. She got her start in Spain, a hotbed for stunners, and it has been uphill ever since. Vogue, Elle and Glamour featured her in its pages, and soon she was strutting her stuff for big designer names such as Versace, Armani and Ralph Lauren.

A student of acting, Padma moved on to do what she knew best. Her first two Bollywood films, Sandokan: The Darkness and the Light (1998) and Caribbeans (1999), were met with lukewarm reception; however, they did plant her name in Indian fame. But it was her cookbook, Easy Exotic: A Model's Low-Fat Recipes from Around the World, a compilation of international recipes, that made her name truly international. So much so that she wound up hosting a Food Network show, Padma's Passport.

Padma Lakshmi starred in two other movies, Glitter (2001) and Boom (2003), which unfortunately tanked with both their American and Indian audiences. She decided to produce her own work instead, and founded a production company. Her first film will be an adaptation of a story by her ex-husband, Salman Rushdie. Her success in filmmaking has yet to come.

Padma Lakshmi Biography

Born in Madras, Indian, on September 1, 1970, Padma Lakshmi spent most of her adolescence in the United States. From a very young age, Padma knew she was beautiful. In fact, she recalls having worn her first seductive dress at only 9 years old. It was always her dream to be a model. Her mother, however, insisted that Padma get a college degree first, telling her that if she was beautiful at 17, she'd be beautiful at 21 with a degree in hand.

Around that time, Padma Lakshmi got into a serious car accident, which left a seven-inch scar on her right arm. This would become her signature feature -- that curious imperfection that makes her all the more lovely and exotic.

padma lakshmi pens easy exotic Padma Lakshmi attended Clark University in Massachusetts and got a bachelor's degree in theater arts. Her last semester of college was spent in Spain, where she landed her first modeling job. She also caught the attention of Helmut Newton, a photographer notorious for his stylish female nudes. Giant fashion mags like Vogue, Elle and Glamour rushed to get her decadent body in their pages as well.

After graduating, Padma Lakshmi moved to Italy for a few years, where she cohosted the TV show Domenica in Rai. She also trekked across the international runways for such labels as Versace, Armani and Ralph Lauren. While trotting the globe, Padma Lakshmi, an unabashed foodie, picked up and compiled low-fat recipes from every imaginable country. Her amassed culinary adventures culminated in Easy Exotic: A Model's Low-Fat Recipes from Around the World, a cookbook that became a bestseller.

padma lakshmi in glitter Padma Lakshmi's frequent returns to her subcontinent home resulted in her starring in two Bollywood films, Caribbeans and Sandokan: The Darkness and the Light. She became so recognized in India that American studios tried to capitalize on her talents. She was cast as Sylk in the 2001 box-office bomb Glitter, starring Mariah Carey. That same year, she guest-starred in an episode of Star Trek:Enterprise.

In 2003, Padma Lakshmi starred in her biggest Bollywood flick yet: Boom, a story of three Indian supermodels caught in a diamond heist. Sadly, this movie tanked as well. But box-office success (or the lack thereof) proved no hindrance to the model's love life. Padma Lakshmi started dating Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie, with whom she created a cinematic partnership and would go on to marry in 2004, then later divorce in 2007.

padma lakshmi hosts padma's passport

Padma Lakshmir's first cookbook, Easy Exotic, did so well that she was offered her own cooking show on the Food Network, The Melting Pot -- Padma's Passport, in 2001. Since then, her popularity with foodies everywhere has soared, and Padma has also hosted a documentary series (about food around the world, naturally) called Planet Food, and most notably Top Chef (2006), on which she is a judge and host, and which has become a top-rated cooking show on Bravo.

padma lakshmi in the mistress of spices

Padma Lakshmi's talent isn't limited to behind the cooking counter on reality TV, as her acting past as proven. In 2005, Padma starred in The Mistress of Spices alongside Aishwarya Rai and Dylan McDermott.

Despite her love for the big screen, Padma Lakshmi returned to television in 2006 with a role as Moses' mother in The Ten Commandments and Sharpe's Challenge, a miniseries set in India shortly after the times of Napoleon and right in the midst of British rule. While the miniseries was English-language, Padma was able to appeal to her Indian audience as well, dealing with a location and history she knew well.

padma lakshmi is named no. 66 in 2008 top 99 Padma Lakshmi's first cookbook, Easy Exotic, sold so well that the Food Network gave her her own show in which she travels the world tasting the most exotic dishes imaginable. Meanwhile, Padma created her own film production company, Lakshmi Productions. Her first film is reported to be based on a short story by the love-stricken 56-year-old Rushdie, The Firebird's Nest.

In addition to releasing her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet, in 2007, and divorcing her husband, Padma Lakshmi landed on our Top 99 Most Desirable Women list in 2008. Upon hearing of her position on this list, Padma said, "Thanks to all those who voted for me!" Although she didn't make the list in 2009, she is a nominee yet again for 2010.

padma lakshmi is nominated for an emmy

In 2009, Padma Lakshmi was nominated for an Emmy along with her Top Chef co-host, but where she really grabbed our attention this past year was in her Carl’s Jr. commercial, in which she devours a Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger. The commercial is still worthy of a YouTube search (we recommend the extended version). But just remember, just like the fast food chain’s slogan, Padma Lakshmi is more than just a piece of meat.